Giants Melky Cabrera Suspended 50 games for PEDs

(Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

By Jim Pratt | @BigLeaguesMthly

San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera has been suspended for 50 games, without pay, after “testing positive for Testosterone, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.” – MLB.com

Cabrera’s suspension will begin immediately and with only 45 games remaining on the Giants schedule, if the club make the playoffs, his suspension will include the first 5 games of the postseason. If the Giants fall short of the playoffs, the suspension will continue with the first 5 games of the 2013 season.

In a MLBPA press release, Cabrera stated, “My positive test was the result of my use of a substance I should not have used. I accept my suspension under the Joint Drug Program, and I will try to move on with my life. I am deeply sorry for my mistake, and I apologize to my teammates, to the San Francisco Giants organization, and to the fans for letting them down."

Jason Martinez of MLBDepthCharts.com expects this suspension could cost Cabrera millions on the free agent market this winter, “I was expecting him to get approximately $60M over 5 years in free agency. Now it's hard to see him doing better than a 3 yr, $18-20M deal.”

The Giants (64-53) are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West lead heading into Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Washington Nationals. Cabrera leads MLB with 159 total hits and his .346 batting average ranks only behind Andrew McCutchen’s .359 in the National League.